Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils made a commanding pitch to earn a first-round bye to the College Football Playoff with a blowout win over Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game.
After the win, Dillingham spoke about ASU’s position in the bracket and advocated for the team to earn a bye.
“Last year, they kept Florida State out because their quarterback didn’t play,” Dillingham said. “We’re 11-1 with our quarterback, and we’re Big 12 Champs. I think we should be treated like an 11-1 team.”
Arizona State’s path to the playoff has generated some controversy in recent weeks as the Sun Devils were listed as an at-large bid in the latest playoff prediction. With the Mountain West Champion Boise State Broncos earning a spot in the playoff, the conversation about which team deserves the bye has sparked up more than ever.
The 12-1 Broncos cruised to a league championship with one of the best running backs in the country, Ashton Jeanty, leading the team to ten straight wins. The last loss for the group came back in Week 2, a game where Boise State was narrowly defeated by No. 1 Oregon.
While the 12-1 record speaks volumes, the list of teams taken down by the Broncos leaves much to be desired. Their wins have come against Georgia Southern, Portland State, Washington State, Utah State, Hawaii, No. 20 UNLV, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, Wyoming, and Oregon State.
Arizona State, on the other hand, has faced an impossible hard schedule, with multiple Top 25 wins. With Boise State at No. 10 and Arizona State at No. 15, their season finale in the Big 12 Championship Game may just be enough to leap the MWC Champion and earn a bid in the CFP.
